Central Business District in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia — Oceania

Digging through Time

— Historic Little Lon —

Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 3, 2026

1. Digging through Time Marker

Inscription. In the heart of Melbourne's CBD, 271 Spring Street forms the northeastern corner of the Little Lon precinct, an area that throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries had a reputation as a slum and brothel district. Few traces now remain of this former neighbourhood, but since the 1980s, historians and archaeologists have been working together to shed new light on the families, communities and businesses of Little Lon. In 2017, archaeologists began a new phase of excavations here, uncovering a vast range of artefacts that show us what life was really like in this complex urban community. These objects tell us about life inside the homes of Little Lon.

Interpreting these objects is not easy though, and archaeologists are often faced with more questions than when they started. Do objects like gaming tokens tell the stories of family recreation, or vice in an inner city slum? The past was just as complex as the present, and there is always more to discover.

1. Asparagus dish, pearlware, Willow pattern, first half of the 19th century

2. Plate, earthenware, Willow pattern, c.1830-19th century

3. Decanter, glass mid-19th century

4. Stemmed glass, glass, 19th century

5. Ladle, earthenware, Willow pattern, c. 1830s - late 19th Century

6.Covered dish, earthenware,

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feather edge, , c.1860 - c.1900

7. Child's plate, earthenware, mid-late 19th Century

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 2017.

Location. 37° 48.533′ S, 144° 58.264′ E. Marker is in Melbourne, Victoria. It is in the Central Business District. It is at the intersection of Casselden Place and Gorman Alley on Casselden Place. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 25 Casselden Place, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Oceania,

Australasia,

the Pacific Ocean,

South Pacific,

the Pacific Rim,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 17 Casselden Place (here, next to this marker); Madame Brussels (here, next to this marker); Little Lon People and Professions (here, next to this marker); Bill Proudfoot (a few steps from this marker); Sister Esther (a few steps from this marker); Ti Cum Ah Chung, 1903 (a few steps from this marker); Little Lon': Mission House (within shouting distance of this marker); Grit, Grime and Noise (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Melbourne.

Also see . . . Little Lon Collection. Museums Victoria Collections

The Commonwealth Block is an area in inner-city Melbourne bounded by Lonsdale, Exhibition, Little Lonsdale and Spring Streets comprising. During the mid-
Photographed by Dean Barton-Ancliffe, June 3, 2026

2. Digging through Time Marker
to late-nineteenth century, it developed as a working class district, with simple houses, cottage industries and small scale businesses. The area has been regarded as a slum, occupied by criminals, prostitutes and the poor, however archaeological research on the nineteenth-century occupation of the site suggests a more complex history with at least some long term occupants seeking a respectable life. Towards the end of the century many ethnic minority groups were moving into the area and operating businesses, and the early twentieth century saw the construction of a number of small factories.

In 1948 the Commonwealth Government compulsorily acquired the land. The homes and factories that populated the back streets and lanes were razed to the ground, and a large government office block was built in the south-east corner. Ahead of a tidal wave of further commercial development in the late 1980s, an archaeological investigation of the area was commissioned by The Department of Administrative Services and Telecom Australia. In the summer of 1987-1988 over 200,000 artefact fragments were uncovered from the first archaeological dig which took place along Little Lonsdale Street. There have been four further digs since: Black Eagle & Oddfellows Hotels (1991), 17 Casselden Place (1995), Phase 3 Testing (2001), and Casselden Place (2002-2003). These digs produced an additional
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300,000 artefacts. Artefacts from all but the Phase 3 Testing season are in Museum Victoria's collection.

(Submitted on June 7, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2026, by Dean Barton-Ancliffe of Rowville, Victoria. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.